character application

[musubi]

Character Information

Character Name: Isamu Nitta
Character Series: Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
Character Age: 17 (estimate)
Character Gender: male

Original Canon
Canon Point: death; true demon ending

Background Link: Megaten Wiki

Personality: The Isamu we see at the beginning of the game is a rather cheerful and cocky person who berates the main character for being late and claims that the main character's only purpose there is to set the mood. (Though he's probably not entirely serious, as he's a little friendlier once the MC actually arrives.) He's individualistic, which you might be able to tell from his taste in clothing (those shoes!) as well as how he's always going off on his own. Despite this, he's also easily willing to dump things on the shoulders of others - usually the protagonist. Never once does he come to the conclusion that he and someone else can handle a matter together. (Even later, if one chooses the Musubi path and sides with Isamu, either he'll do something or he'll make the protagonist do it. Never both of them at the same time.)

When he becomes fed up with failure and works his way into the Amala Network, he loses what happy-go-luckiness he still had, developing the Reason of Musubi, which would create a world solely based around the individual - where no one would have to be bothered by anyone else. (Yuko Takao seems to have been forgotten about entirely.) He becomes a bit more cruel, and if the protagonist doesn't side with him he mocks him for his soft heart. Unlike the Yosuga and Shijima Reasons, which are backed by demons that have sided with that cause, Isamu goes it alone. There are demons and spirits that ascribe to his way of thinking, but they aren't directly under his command. The protagonist will gain points toward the Musubi ending if he ignores others, and of the options given it fits most deeply into the neutral spectrum of the usual Shin Megami Tensei Law/Neutral/Chaos divide.

In the tower, without any god to back him, or Kagatsuchi enforcing the need for a Reason in the first place, he will become confused and probably think over some of the things he's done, eventually becoming more like the person he was at the beginning of the game. (Though a lot of this depends on what interaction he has after he arrives.) He won't be all that willing to interact with others at first, but I'm fully prepared to force interaction upon him.

While lacking in the physical department, Isamu can be especially resourceful. He manages to get places on his own that the protagonist needs a full party of demons to get to and collects information on his own that the protagonist has to hear directly from the source. When arriving at the hospital at the beginning of the game, you find that Isamu has gotten hold of a key card that allows access to the lower levels - despite the fact that the building is otherwise abandoned. He also seems to have a knack for puzzles and/or codes, given how well he figured out the Amala Network, and possibly an affinity for magic. That was the strength of Noah, at least - the ability to change the sort of elemental magic it used and was protected from, with no set element it was better with.

However, Isamu is a solo player in an environment better suited to grouping up. He has a tendency to go off and try to take care of things on his own, but then when he (inevitably) fails he places the blame on someone else - usually the main character. He's often selfish, not taking into account the feelings of others. This isn't to say he isn't capable of caring for others, as he clearly considered Chiaki and the protagonist his friends before everything went downhill, and he certainly cared for Ms. Takao seeing as trying to help her on his own was what originally got him into trouble. Despite his desire to take care of everything on his own, he also doesn't like to get his hands dirty if he can help it. If he fails to do something, he'll try and leave it up to someone else. Even with the powers he gained, he is incapable of realizing his Reason without help (leaving it up to the protagonist if his Reason is chosen).

Abilities: As I'm taking Isamu from his death after being merged with his patron god, I would like him to retain some of the abilities he had in boss form - at least slightly less powerful versions of them. They're mostly elemental spells and shielding. The elements used in Nocturne for spells are fire, ice, wind, and lightning. (There are others like dark and light, but they don't really factor into Isamu's abilities.) Fire is opposite of ice, and wind is opposite of lightning. When he puts up a shield it will block everything, including physical attacks, except for the element opposite of the one he currently has employed in combat. For example, if he's using fire, then he can only be hit by ice. As his spells and shields are connected in this way, he has to be actively controlling the shield for it to work. Also, any spell types that don't fall into the physical category or any of the elements listed above can get through since he doesn't know how to properly deal with them.

He will not be able to access these abilities when he first arrives. Starting just as he ended, in pseudo-fiend form, he will have a hard time adapting. There's no explanation for how he survives in the Amala network except for the new form he's taken on by connecting with various wandering "emotions". I tend to assume that these allowed him to draw a little from the magatsuhi in the network in order to function without other sustenance. Once in the tower, he will begin to suffer withdrawals from this until the newer additions to his skin crack and fall away, leaving him just a human with yellow eyes. At this point, he'll be able to figure out what power he still has left from Noah.

Sample Entry: It itched. Of course it itched, why wouldn't it? Nothing was ever pleasant anymore.

It was especially irritating around the collar, where the band rubbed up against what had once been a deformed face of sorts. There was no face there now - it was all smoothed over from the wear, dust falling along his collar bone and down underneath his shirt. He didn't know what the faces were made up of in a physical sense and he really didn't want to know. Once hand went up to scratch at it absently, causing the crud to gather up under his fingernails.

This was filthy. He needed to locate a bath.

But that involved standing and, worse, stepping outside of his room into the mess of hallways beyond. There were others out there, and he'd have to suffer their stares as he went along. His roommates were bad enough. The first one to complain about his mess was free to throw himself out the nearest window, if they could find one.

Isamu had left his room before. Though the Amala Network had provided for him as far as sustenance went, here he wasn't so lucky. After the first day his stomach was already protesting. By the third he'd dragged himself to the cafeteria. It was for the best that all they allowed him was oatmeal, he supposed, as his stomach wouldn't be able to handle much else. Liquids, maybe. He could go for a smoothie or some frozen yogurt.

Eventually he'd have to talk to someone. Get answers. Get directions. It was inevitable if he didn't want to shrivel up and die in this room, and that was infuriating. He couldn't really let himself die here. As crappy as it was, it was still a second opportunity of sorts. Maybe it was to teach him a lesson. That would be rich.

It was stuffy in his room. Made it hard to breathe... or perhaps that was just him. He tugged at the collar of his shirt, but of course that didn't help anything. He'd have to get out. Get some air. Even the damn air plotted against him.

He stood eventually, unsteady, skin crackling still and falling off to the floor with each step he took. It would just be for a short while, he told himself. He didn't have to talk to anyone. He didn't even have to look at anyone.

The door opened, and he stepped out into the hall.